Newcastle Tips: Excellent run to continue for Channon

Newcastle's Northumberland Plate meeting is in full swing and day two from Gosforth Park is on Friday, one of six meetings across Britain and Ireland on a busy day.

Newcastle's evening all-weather card runs from 16:45-20:45, with the Group 3 Hoppings Fillies' Stakes the highlight amongst eight races. Below are my three Newcastle tips on the middle day of the Northumberland Plate festival, including one for the red-hot Jack Channon team.

18:00 - Excellent Believe @ 4/9

Jack Channon's string are in rare old form, with a strike-rate in excess of 37 per-cent across recent weeks, and another winner could be incoming at Newcastle with EXCELLENT BELIEVE.

The three-year-old was second-best on debut at Wolverhampton over 7f on the Tapeta in March and then made all for a comprehensive success on turf at Nottingham over the extended mile in May on second start.

He left the field strung out in behind there and the second and third home in that contest have subsequently won at Windsor and Nottingham respectively.

He carries a penalty now but with the stable in rude health and a good record of recording winners at Newcastle, he is taken to defy it.

18:30 - Callianassa @ 3/1

Recent Hamilton winner Starliner has good claims in this race but Linda Perratt's gelding has just one win in 10 starts at this venue and a 3-27 strike-rate all told, while the drop back in trip from a stiff 1m1f at the Glasgow venue is another concern.

That opens the door to make the case for CALLIANASSA as Brian Ellison's Invincible Army filly seeks just the second win of her career.

She has been really consistent in 2025, going close on multiple occasions here over 7f/1m, and got her reward at Southwell over 7f with a gutsy success in late April, having previously been beaten by three lengths from 7lb out of the handicap on All-Weather Finals Day here on Good Friday.

The four-year-old has run well in two 7f starts at Haydock since and looks likely to relish the AW return now, having performed well behind the subsequent Sandringham fourth Oolong Poobong on Merseyside four weeks ago.

19:05 - Diamond Rain @ 8/11

The Charlie Appleby and William Buick combo aren't often spotted in these parts, with DIAMOND RAIN set to be a first Newcastle runner this year for the Newmarket handler and, likewise, the former champion jockey on his first venture to the north east this year.

Buick of course could be on a high if Excellent Believe goes in earlier on the card, and this Shamardal filly looks a standout in the Group 3 feature race.

A Listed winner at Newbury on only her second start last year, she returned from 196 days off to beat the 114-rated Running Lion in the Betfred 'Nifty 50' British EBF Hedge Of Oak Stakes at Haydock last month, justifying market support in doing so.

She was very strong at the finish and if she translates that form to the synthetic surface, which she is entitled to on pedigree, she will be a tough nut to crack in what looks a logical rise in class.

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